127 Yard Sale Kentucky and Tennessee

The 127 Yard Sale was always our "go to" summer vacation for over 12 years.  It has been 5 years, since we have driven and taken in the lovely scenery of Kentucky and Tennesse.  A few years, we have even completed the trek through Georgia and Alabama.  After a great deal of procrastination, we booked some reservations and set off to see how the sales have changed.  In Tennessee, the sale sites changed slightly with some popping up in new locations.  Kentucky was a little more sparce but still had some areas well worth visiting.  In one of these sites in Kentucky, we found this vintage Baby Brother child's sewing machine.  It is exceptional shape for its age, and I am looking forward to shining her up.  :)  

There are some splotches of paint on the platform and a coating of dust to remove.  Although dust never shows well, it does a decent job of protecting surfaces over the years if its dry.

 Not gonna lie, I went into the trip a little stressed and wore myself out cleaning my basement.  Nesting is one of the faults I have.  Interesting fact, July had 5 weeks in it.  Mistakenly, my brain had me cleaning weeks ahead of the trip, instead of my usual week before. lol  Instead of taking a break, I pushed myself to finish the job I started.  Took a few trips to the local thrift store prior to the trip to donate and left on the adventure with a clear mind of not only what I had, but also, what I needed to sell off in the future and a list of items to search for to complete some projects.  My only apprehension was taking our Mini Cooper Countryman instead of the truck.  Not that I usually buy anything huge, but you never know!  ;) 

One of the items on my "lookout" list was wooden spools.  Not for the beautiful spools themselves, but for the thread held on them.  Most of these contain wool thread.  If you search through for the fat ones, they contain quite a bit of wool thread.  Saves loads of money!  Not as strong as some threads for stitching but will look lovely on recycled wool candle mats and penny rugs.  The gentlemen, who was selling these, was the same person and site where I purchased them 5 years ago!  lol   I am going to do some wool testing on a few of the spools.  There were a few that didn't have that special feel to them.  Still some lovely thread, but I try to stick to the wool ones, unless they fooled me and test otherwise.  

In the past, I have found a wider range of colors.  Great for a little pizzaz, but I was happy to add the more subdued colors from this trip.  Plus, he had some great earth tones which could be over dyed nicely.

The gentlemen who sold the Baby Brother threw in the Singer stitch cams.  Although I currently do not have a machine for them, they might come in handy in the future should the machine enter the herd or will be good for trading.  Also, as luck would have it, these attachments, vintage needles, and book for a Pfaff 130-6 were put out for free. How terrific is that?  I love my Pfaff.  Any opportunity to acquire original attachments and bobbins is a wonderful day.  To find them for free...  Simply awesome!  In the bag for the Pfaff parts, there were also vintage huge, curved needles used in sewing farm bags and leather items.   

At one of the stops, my eye spied a Singer Featherweight.  Surprisingly, the seller was asking $300.00.   It had its box and attachments.  I refrained and wince in writing this.  She probably would have come down a bit, but I have a few Featherweights.  My Hubby was a little disappointed when I left it behind to become someone else's treasure.  Now, that is why I clean prior to leaving.  I look at items in a different light.  Sewing machines can add up and overtake space quickly.  Plus, I have a Vintage GE, which was the precursor to the Featherweight, arriving soon to join the herd.  ;)   With the addition of a few vintage Playskool puzzes and random kitchen items, it was a nice round thoughtful haul.  Once I part with a few things, my want list will grow.  It was just lovely to be back on the road again! :)

127 Yard Sale Finds for 2015



I found a few photos on my camera with some of my 127 Yard Sale finds for 2015 to share... 

 

Although most of our stops are large flea market areas, this Limited Edition Project Runway sewing machine was found in the morning of our second day at a local garage sale.  It was brand new.  The previous owner purchased it and never got around to using it.  Mr. Hollow found it being unloaded on the first day of a garage sale, and the gentleman was asking $30.00 firm.  Although I am not a big fan of plastic body machines, I decided to give this unit a home.  It's test run went impressively well.  :) 

 

Every once in a while, I make an odd ball purchase.  While at my favorite Amish hosted stop, this postal scale from 1969 caught my eye.  I bundled it with some other items to purchase it for $7.00.    Mr. Hollow never saw it until our arrival home.  ;)

  

Where ever I am, the fabric calls to me!  For a few dollars, this assorted grouping of John Deere yardage made its way into my stash.  The yardage is destined to become some microwave plate and bowl holders.  If only Minneapolis Moline would come out with some licensed fabric... *sigh*

Next to the fabric remnants is a cutter quilt.  Some previous owner had added a new border to this old feed sack quilt.  It is hand sewn and suffers from a few blown out areas.  My intention will be to tea dye the vintage area and preserve the quilts handcrafted beauty in Christmas decorations.  

 

 

 

 

While I was purchasing some old yarn spindles, Mr. Hollow was busy buying from a military surplus vendor.   He called me over to check out the gentleman's wool blankets.  I walked over a little reluctantly, until Mr. Hollow told me that they were $10.00 a piece.  WOW!   I rifled through them and picked out six perfect blankets... A great deal at $60.00.   To Mr. Hollow's astonishment, I turned to the dealer and asked if he could do better on six.  Hey, it doesn't hurt to ask. ;)  He said that he couldn't.  I said that I completely understood.  As I turned to get my money, he said, "You must be a quilter... Just give me $50."  How sweet is that?   I still marvel over the purchase price of $8.35 a blankie!   

 



There were a few other deals here and there.  At another one of our favorite spots, some local tobacco farmers had bundles of tobacco sticks.  (They were used to hang the tobacco during the drying process.)  After my purchase, Mr. Hollow was kind enough to carry a large bundle to the truck for me.  The sticks will be used to hang wool in a future studio space... a rustic reminder of our trip.  :)

127 Corridor Yard Sale 2015

The 127 Corridor Yard Sale is over for another year.  *sigh*  Mr. Hollow and I ran solo, since Farmerboy decided to stay home and house sit.  Our starting destination... the tip top of Kentucky.  (While planning our trip, we decided to run for 2 days -- ending near Crossville, Tennessee.)

 

During the week, the weather forecast called for warm temps, possible storms and 40% chance of rain.  Mr. Hollow and I remained positive.  If there is one thing the weather has taught us this year, it is to make the best out of a wet situation.  So... we arrived filled with optimism at our motel in 80 degree sunny weather and woke up the following morning to rain... A torrential downpour actually. 

 

Taking advantage of our dry room, we delayed our departure.  When the rain suddenly turned to mist,  our search began!  :)   A few sales had to be passed, since the proprietors decided they did not want to greet the morning weather.   No worries though... There were plenty other venues open.  The mist let up periodically, and we had blessed overcast skies with temps in the mid 70's!  Yippee!!       

 

 

 

The first day would see us arrive at our motel around 4 o'clockish, which is not out of the ordinary.  After having a light supper, I made use of my Kindle loaded with newly purchased episodes of "Flea Market Flip".   Kind of appropriate,  right?  ;)

On the second day,  the weather man promised skies of blue with temps in the 80's.  This pic is the only sun our travels would see for the day...  The very last venue attended.  I am not complaining though, the temps stayed in the 70's under overcast skies.  Beautiful mild weather that mocked Fall.  Our hunt lasted until 6 o'clock and was an absolute blast. :) 

If you have not attended a 127 sale, I highly recommend it.  One little tidbit of advice:  Around mid afternoon, figure out the town you would like to end in, call ahead and book a room.  The motel stays are few and far between. 

Today, I am finishing my unpacking, cleaning some finds and getting some groceries.  With a quick peek at the local thrift store thrown in!  ;)    It is always nice to be home and unwind a little before heading back to work.  I feel like I have been gone for months!  A post will follow soon with some of my finds for this year.

A huge thanks to all the vendors, old and new,  who endured the torrential rains.  You are all the greatest!  And to the fellow scavengers that we laughed and talked with at breakfast and met along the route, we hope to see you all happy and well next year!  :)

127 Yard Sale "2014"

It is hard to believe that another 127 Yard Sale is over.  We had some chilly mornings that gave way to warm afternoons.  Although there was a little rain, it magically let up at the times that we were out hunting. :)  It is amazes me how many vendors make the trek to set up along the 127 Corridor.  Here is my little sampling...

 

 

In Kentucky, there is a large arena for cattle and horse shows, it started to pour the moment we arrived.  The rain continued until we were ready to leave.  Which was perfect timing for us! ;)   From there, we stopped at a little flea market that was hosted by the local Amish community.  Here are a few of my finds: 

1. A huge bag of scraps was a nice find for 2 dollars.  Normally, I do not buy much for scraps, but these had some vintage and modern pieces.  2.  A kit for making Dresden Plate blocks.  The previous owner had 20 already sewn... I just had to pick it up for the $5.00.   3.   These four pointed creations are hand stitched and paper pieced.  Whoever created them, left the original papers on the back.  They are so neat "as is".  Not sure if I will create something with the four of them.  4.  A twin size child's quilt top.  I am not a fan of the design.  My thinking was to cut the squared blocks into triangles, mix them up and stitch them into a more complex design.  I couldn't buy the fabric for the $8.00 that I spent on it.  :)

Feed sack fabric anyone?  ;)  The 7 pieces of various sized feed sack will be used for some free sketch -  embroidery designs.  The vintage look and feel of these pieces will make for some nice  primitive distressed mats.  At a dollar a piece, a stitcher couldn't find fabric any cheaper to create with... with a little age and patina to boot! The second and last photos represent my weakness for stamped feed sacks.  I have got to get cracking on some projects to use some of these up on!  The third photo was a large cutter quilt that I just couldn't pass up on for 5 bucks.  It has a wide variety of colors on it.  There will not be any guilt cutting it up, since someone else already took a piece off of it.  :)

This industrial lamp will be perfect for my desk.  It works great and has scratch free paint.  Come on... Where can you get a great light for 7 bucks!

This photo is a find by Mr. Hollow.  It escaped my eye on the walk about.  My original thought was that it was a used rock tumbler from Lortone.  On our arrival home, I realized that it was brand new!  What a shocker???  It came complete with grit for 7 dollars. :) 

The same lady had some industrial sized tumbling barrels and two large lidded barrels of very expensive grit.  To the right shopper, the tumbling barrels would be a great find, and she would gladly have given them away.  Although Mr. Hollow began contemplating taking them (YIKES!), I was not for it.  We did take the barrels of grit.  The guys were trying to guess how many pounds were there... Maybe 35 pounds a piece.  I couldn't pass on them for 10 bucks!!

Here was an impulse buy.  Why did this speak to me out of a table filled with sewing machines?   I do not know.   But I fell for her... She is a Montgomery Ward "Signature" sewing machine.  Her and I are just getting to know each other, and a better introduction will be posted later.  :)

We had so much fun on our trip.  But there is not much time to rest, since this weekend is the big show in Baraboo, Wisconsin.  Lots of running to do before the weather dances its way into another season! :)

2013 127 Yard Sale Finds

Can you believe that another 127 Yard Sale has past?   It seems like a distant memory now.  (Partly due to the fact that upon my arrival back, I had to work a 46.5 hour work week.)  This week is being spent as a time of reflection and restocking my short term goals.  My artistic soul has been rejuvenated, and I am ready to tackle the world with a new more organized vigor. *sigh*  

 

Kentucky and Tennessee had cool temps for the duration of our trip with mornings being in the late 70's and highs in the mid to low 80's.  The lowest temps that we have ever had on a Yard Sale trip. :)  The amount of attendees appeared to be up tremendously... hopefully the sign of a recovering economy... and the vendors were out in full force.   We had three full days of flea marketing/garage sale fun. 

 

Below are a few of my finds for this year.  I always say that the treasures are a small part of the trip, compared to the time with family,  the wonderful people that we get to meet and all the wonderful vintage items that we are fortunate for the chance to see. 

 

Here are a few finds pulled from my sewing items.  Of course, I cannot make it a year without bobbins. ;)  I was a yearly return customer to the bobbin vendor, and he gave me a generous discount. :)  I couldn't resist the feed bag tote from a talented fellow upcycler.  It is so simplistic in design, roomy and amazingly durable.  My son is going to bring me a few of his to make some more.   I do so love recycling!!   Finally, I was lucky to find some 9 patch squares that were hand sewn.  The vendor wanted $20 but settled on $15.  She was a neat lady that had purchased an estate.  We looked over them together, and I confirmed to her that they were made from vintage feed sack.  After counting them later, I was pleased to find 113 blocks. :)

 

Okay,  every once in awhile my querkie artsy side comes out!   I fell for the Goebel Crayola banks in three colors.  They were dirt cheap, in like new shape and perfect for my studio. :)  And how about the Helping Hand from Hamburger Helper??   He was a giveaway in 1990.  I saw him last year from the same vendor, and this year snatched him up.  Farmerboy is a huge fan of the brand and may be lucky enough to inherit this gem someday... LOL ;)  Finally the odd purchase, there is a gentleman that sells returns and floor models from Sears.  He has a store that we frequent every trip.  I purchased a brand new Kenmore microwave for less than a 1/3 of the retail price.  Score!



Here is my small haul from the last stop on my trip.  I never thought I would be transporting  home some vintage Shiney Brites.  The yellow Santa ornament caught my eye.  He was a design that my collection did not have!  There were two in the same color with the same design, and I am the proud owner of both.  :)  The blue Santa in the upper right corner is in slightly rough shape, but I am pretty sure this is a new design also.  The remaining ornaments were purchased due to the fact that I have the designs but not in those particular colors.  It is such a joy to find new members to a collection.

 

I have some more photos to share in follow up posts.  If you have the opportunity and love to flea market, the 127 Corridor Yard Sale is a must!  

127 Yard Sale Finds of 2012 ~ Part 2

Here are a few of my other finds from the 127 Yard Sale of 2012.  I found this forgotten post in my drafts...Ooops!  It is a great pick-me-up as I write this, look out the window, and am blinded by the remnants of our last snow!  Aaah, Spring is right around the corner. :)

Here are a few cookie cutters that I purchased.  The flags, hatchet and drums will be new shapes to my collection.  The black cat was just too darn cute to leave behind and will join a few identical friends ! ;)

I just cannot pass up these old industrial lights... especially for 5 dollars!   (Due to losing whole days to rain, lots of the venders were making fantastic deals. Thankfully, the showers were always a day ahead of us!)  Mr. Hollow spotted this light on the ground as we were leaving one of the larger flea markets on our travels. 

I couldn't resist this newly made dough trencher from Albany, KY.  The grain in the Buckeye is just wonderful. There was a smaller version with the strongest black in the grain... absolutely spectacular!  But it was quite a bit smaller; although, it did have a huge knot in the wood-- giving it loads of character.  Hmmm... I am feeling just a little regret for not bringing that one home, too. :( 

On its arrival back to Illinois, the bowl was treated with mineral oil.  The grain jumped out immediately.   The grain makes the piece so unique!   

** Note** At one of our motel stays, there was another gentleman that made some HUGE trenchers.  If only I could've thought of a place to display one.  Maybe this year! ;) 

You all know that I love my old spools.  These two big guys came into my home with four friends. :) 





I just fell in love with these bobbins.  On day one of our trip, I bought some of these from a gentleman that had tables FULL of various wooden spools and bobbins.  He was cutting some tremendous deals.  Later down the road, another gentleman had some with great patina, so they entered the grouping as well!

It is so nice to sit here today and reflect on that trip. We had such a wonderful time... with so much to see!   I am really looking forward to this year's adventures! :)

The 127 Yard Sale Finds of 2012 ~ Vintage Feedsack Cloth

Here is part one of my haul on this year's 127 Yard Sale.  It is now over 600 miles of great buys.  The weather was beautiful and not as balmy as years past.  Unfortunately, some of our southern bargain hunters were met by rain showers.  We were lucky and missed the rain by the hour and were blessed with lower temps, due to the cloud cover!  :)

This post is dedicated to one of my Tennessee finds... Vintage feedsack cloth.  I stumbled across this on the beginning of our 3rd day of the sales.  Vendors were set up in storage sheds along the highway that were safe from the previous days showers.  Since they had lost a day to rain, everyone was making deals!

It was in one of these sheds that I found a clear zippered bag full of feedsack cloth remnants.  Yay!!  I love the idea of leftovers and the vast variety of patterns.  Aren't they just lovely?  *sigh*

I can spend hours researching the history to these pieces of cloth from days gone by... 

Here is a close up of the "Alice in Wonderland" print.  It is one of the "hard to find" designs.  I have only seen it once with a lavender background.  The flowers are just as whimsical on the green cloth.  :) 

Next to the bag of remnants, there were whole feedsacks.  Score!  As I was opening up sacks, the vendors started making deals.  They were keeping an eye on the dark rain clouds looming in the distance and were determined not  to lose another day of business.  So, we bundled all the material together, they threw out the price of $16.00, and I left thrilled with my finds! 

***A little note of gained knowledge... As I was finishing up my purchase, the woman was kind enough to point out that I had left behind two feedsacks.  Not wanting to insult her, I remained silent about those left behind, but it was running through my head that those remaining were old pillowcases.  Having a general knowledge of feedsack patterns, I felt confident leaving them behind.  Once we arrived home, I began researching the basic designs on these "pillowcases".  The vendor was correct about them being a vintage sack.

The remaining bags were Gold Medal Flour sacks.  They were designed to have a simple pattern around the opening, making them perfect for pillowcases. ;)   Even though they will not be gracing my growing collection, I am always excited to expand my knowledge of this fascinating phenomenon of our American agricultural history.  :) 

365 Vintage Hummingbirds for a Quilt ~ With The Help of Barbara Brackman

I have to share with you a treasured item that my younger sister recently picked up for me at my Grandma's sale.   She found this box amongst the various items and opened it up.  To her surprise there was a note written in our Great Grandmother's hand that read, "365 Hummingbirds in this box - July 4th, 1940".  She knew that these were something that would be of interest to me, so she purchased them.  I cannot express in words the excitement that I felt being the recipient of these hand sewn treasures.  They are approximately 4 1/4 inches long from point to point and are made from various prints of that time period.  Just breath taking!

I can imagine how wonderful it would be to create a quilt that will be a culmination of Great Grandma's and my handiwork.  The process being more than 70 years in the making!  The only problem with this dream is my lack of quilting knowledge.    I didn't relish the idea of a long search with no results, so I jumped immediately to a quilt historian and author that I have admired for years... Barbara Brackman.  I have been a follower of both her blogs for quite some time now.  You can find them listed under fiber artists on my side bar entitled:  Barbara Brackman Material Culture and her newest blog Civil War Quilts or just click on their names in this post.   She is currently posting the instructions for Civil War Era blocks that I intend to make into a quilt someday with her fabric line inspired from that time period.  I highly recommend reading her blogs even if you are not a quilter.  The history revealed in her posts is some of the best reading around!

So for those that were as intrigued as myself by the little Hummingbirds, the following in quotes is the info that Barbara Brackman was kind enough to send to me in an email...
  

"You have a common example of an unfinished Hummingbird quilt.  It's a beautiful box."

"Here is what the finished quilt is suppose to look like.  Some people finished out the birds into a block."

"Either on the diagonal or north/south axis."

"Others set the birds together with an octagon shape."

"That may be the case above.  I think that is why there are so many unfinished examples in boxes.  Fitting the birds into the octagons was no easy task."

"Don't forget you can make a mini quilt and frame a picture of your Great Grandma with the unfinished blocks."

I am grateful for all of Barbara's help and direction on these quilt pieces.  I am anxious to contribute my part to the production of this quilt but will definitely work on perfecting my skills first.  My Great Grandma passed away not long after completing these blocks, and I want to do my absolute best for my part in this family heirloom.  I am honored to be leaving my mark in our family history.

I thought that I would end this post with a photo from our travels on the 127 Yardsale.  You might need to click on the pic to see this one clear.  These are old sewing machines that were stacked up and waiting for an upcycler to make them into new treasures.  I couldn't help looking at them and imagining all of the hands throughout the years that created garments and quilts on these wonderful machines.  Can you imagine the excitement that must have been felt on the day these brilliant little gems were purchased?  Quite the investment!  The freedom it must have gave to the hand piecing seamstress.  Ahhh... If only they could tell their stories... *sigh*

Thrifty Finds ~ 127 Yard Sales

We have been traveling the 127 Corridor Sales for over 8 years now.  My house and basement are filled with the treasures brought home after our travels - from apothecary jars to vintage linens - rustic paintable treasures to antique Christmas ornaments .  The buying can be limitless as we hit several flea markets a day - walking and looking at items from 8:00 am to 5:00pm.  And let's not forget all of the yard sales that we find along the road!   It is truly an amazing event to be a part of.  Our travels span the states of Kentucky and Tennessee, and we are always amazed by variety of items out for sale.  In the larger flea market areas, there are whole antique shops out on display.  Just breath taking! 

These wooden bobbins came from a gentleman, who arrived in Tennessee hoping to get away from the Florida heat.  The weather had other ideas with temps way into the 90's!   He had wooden bobbins of every shape and size.  I mean... bins upon bins of the most wonderful bobbins to display or recycle.   I bought these smaller green ones to craft with, but he also had them in natural and a gorgeous blue color.  *sigh*  Oh... the possibilities!  He had bought out a textile factory and had cheap bulk prices to offer. :)  The factory also made him take the inventory of thread.  Some of the smaller amounts of thread were still on old wooden spools, while the larger quantities were on cardboard tubes.  The thread varied in thickness and type.  Thank heaven (for my husband anyways!) that we had to keep on pace.  If I would have had time to think, this could have been a dangerous spending opportunity! ;)

Here are some feed sacks that I bought in a pavilion in Kentucky.  There are some patterns that I acquired this year that will work perfectly with these.   

Nothing like some vintage linens.  Interesting twist with the blue apples and red flowers!  I think they will mix well with my projects involving my printed feed sacks. :)

Here are a few items from a favorite spot that I have been visiting in Kentucky every year that we have attended the sales.  A man and wife set up with new and used linens.  They sell in bulk, and they sell cheap!! 

On the bottom is a bath blanket.  It is large (close to a twin size) and will work great for a light batting on quilts.  There were stacks of these new from the factory, and she was selling them for 50 cents each!  I think that I ended up buying 10.  I should have bought more at those prices. ;)

I purchased some baby blankets in a variety of prints.  These had been laundered but were high quality, thick/durable, and like new.   I thought they would make a great backing for my cross stitch quilts.  Quite a buy for 25 cents a piece.

I also bought some hospital scrubs that were new in the packages for $1.00 a piece.  New bath mats that came packaged 6 for $5.00 (over stock from the textile factory that manufacture for motels).  And a few other things that I will remember after I unload my two laundry bags that they filled for me! 

  

This was a golden find for me.  It is an industrial light.  This is the second one that I have found flea marketing.  If you are in the drafting, illustrating, or crafting business, these are priceless.  This one sits on the table and swings around by the arm, and the light can be turned also.  My other lamp that I found clamps to my drafting table.  Trust me when I say... "They don't make them like they use too!"

So that this post doesn't get too long, I will switch to a couple of my hubby and son's items.  They have their own favorite seller on the trip that sets up across from my linen lady.  He is a gentleman that sells De Walt tools at great prices.  This is where the money starts to fly rapidly out of their billfolds!

As you know, my hubby and son love their chainsaws.  My son purchases and restores vintage chainsaws, and he found three on this trip.  I spared you all that photo op!   My hubby is on the look out for the modern varieties, although he did purchase a large Mall two man saw last year.  This year he didn't purchase any, but we did find him these signs for his shop.  He is a Stihl man at heart, and I found him a banner for those on the 127 a few years back, but I think these brands will add to the wall decor! ;)

  

Another wonderful trip to look back on.  We have about 4 large flea markets to attend near our home this fall.  Then, it will be winter and thrift shopping until spring.  Where does the year go?

127 Corridor 654 Miles of Flea Markets and Yard Sales

We are back from vacation.  :)  For another year, we have logged in time at the 127 Corridor Longest Yard Sale that extends from the bottom of Michigan to top of Alabama.   Most of the days were extremely hot this year with the exception of our last day hunting.  It made for a nice send off to have some cooler weather on the last leg of our journey. ;)  I highly recommend this trip to those who love to hunt for bargains, antiques, and just about anything else that you can think of!  If a person cannot find a treasure or two or three... ;) on this trip, then he or she is not looking.  My mind is still swimming from all of the wonderful items.  It is a pleasure just to view them.   Plus, the scenery, cities, people, and towns are just spectacular!

I will post some more of my pics and show a few of our finds.  If you are interested in attending next year, information can be found here.  It is impossible to stop at all of the venues.  But of course... You can never have too many sales to choose from! :)